Expansible-piston-packing retainer



April 8 1924.l

E. E. MILLER EXPANSIBLE PISTON PACKING RETAINER Filed Feb. l5.` 1923 Patented Apr. 8, 1924. i

UNITED STATES ERWIN E. MILLER, F FULLERTON', CALIFORNIA.

EXPANSIBLE-PISTON-PACKING RETAINER.

Application sied February 15,1923. serial No. 619,170.

To all whom t may aofncem.'

Be it known that I, ERWIN E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fullerton, in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented vnew and useful Improvements in Expansifble-Piston-V Packing Retainers, of which the is a specification.

This invention relates t-o expansible piston packing.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the kind disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 554:,- 852, filed April 18, 1922.

An object of the invention is to provide a cage or supporting means for preventing undesirable dislodgment of expanding elements which are operative to 4expand a surrounding annular packing body. It sometimes happens that through neo-lect and also from vibration pistons having built up structures, become loosened and in such case the parts are likely to assume undesirable positions and to result in inju to the elements as well as to the cylinder wall.

It is, therefore, a broad object of' the invention to provide a cage for preventing dislodgment of certain of the expanding elements.

Other objects and advantages willv be made manifest in the following specification of an embodiment of the invention illus-trated in the accompanying drawings, wherein* v Figure 1 is an axial section of a piston showing a porti-on of the pump tubing or casing with the expansible packing.

Fig. 2 is an axial section in a plane at right angles to the plane of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4- is a side elevation of a form of cage, and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the same.

The organization consists of a piston rod R on one end of which is provided lock nuts and 16 whereby to secure a piston head 1T and a piston disc 18 in rigid position on the piston rod. The piston head 17 has a cylindrical hub 19 on which is slidably mounted a collar 23 providing a chamber to receive a stout expansion spring 20 reacting against a flange 22 inturned on the collar. At suitable locations around the collar are pivoted link-s 27, and the outer ends of these links are pivoted to expanding following v quarter cylindrical sections the links lying oblique to the axis of the rod clined spring sections 30 outwardly.

The sections 30 Vare Vencompassed -by a gasket or packing' cylinder P of rubber or other suitable conformable material which, theefore, operates to make a tight joint witi This enables the provision of substantial piston members 17 and 18 of somewhat less diameter than the diameter of the cylinder chamber so that the metal parts do not ride on one another.

Should the clamp nuts 15 and v16 Work loose, this results in the releasing of the contiguous piston disc or head 18 and perand inoutwardly with the result that the .mits end play or dislocation of the cylindrical sections 30 which is undesirable, and the present invention consists of means for preventing such undesirable movement of the expanding sections 30 and which serves' to guide them `for radial movement only. Such a retaining and guide means is shown as consisting of flat annulus 2, Fig. 4:, which may be countersunk in the contiguous face of the disc 18. The annulus 2 has projectl ing from one side a number of bars or pins 3 and these are adapted to pass through apertures L provided, therefore, in the pis- 'tends-to thrust the links and thev the cylinder wall of the cylinder C.

ton head 17; the pins bein shouldered at 5 and threaded at 6. As the threaded ends of the pins 3 are provided With nuts 7 whereby they. may be secured in position. The length of the Shanks of the pins 3 is suoli as to position the retaining -ring 2 contiguous to ends of the cylindrical expanding sections 30, and while allowing these to move inwardly and outwardly prevent appreciable end play and dislocation. The expanding sections 30 are shown in Fig. 3 as being quarter-cylinders s own in Fig. 2

Y and their longitudinal edges are undercut sutliciently to provide ample clearance for the cage pins 3.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided means for retaining the packing elements in position irrespective of the fit or play of piston par-ts on the piston rod.

Further embodiments, modifications and variations may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as here claimed. That is claimed is:

1. A piston comprising spaced headsa collar between the heads, a rim composed of movable sections having pivotal connections with the collar, a packing ring sui*- lounding the rim, means engaging the collar for normally urging vthe sections outwaidly against the packing ring, and a vretaining guide device for the said sections.

2. A piston comprising spaced heads, a collaiv between the heads, a rim composed of movable sections having pivotal connections with the collar, a packing ring surrounding the rim, means engaging the collai for normallyuiging the sections outwardly against the packing ring, and a retaining guide device for the said sections, said means consisting of a cage structure carried by the piston.

3. A piston comprising spaced heads, a collar between the heads, a iiIn composed of movable sections having pivotal connections with the collar, a packing ring surrounding the rim, means enga-ging the collar for normally urging the sections outwardly against the packing ring, and a retaining guide device for the said sections,

said means consisting of a cage structure carried by the piston, and including a cage ring having rods extending along the said sections and being secured to `the opposite piston head.

In testimony where-of I have signed my name to this specification.

ERWIN E. MLLER 

